


Pride, Credits and Gunpowder

by ReaperDuckling



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, Het and Slash, M/M, Post Order 66, slow build relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-26
Updated: 2013-11-29
Packaged: 2017-12-13 01:16:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/818250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperDuckling/pseuds/ReaperDuckling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One and a half years after the extermination of the Jedi Order, Obi-Wan is sick and tired of hiding. Armored with the promise of an old ally, he heads off on an adventure through the galaxy to find a couple of lost friends – and he hires the most capable, unethical, money grabbing bounty hunter scum that he can find to help him; Cad Bane.<br/>Slash. Slow paced romance. On hiatus</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Glass of Whisky

**Author's Note:**

> Look at me! I started a new story again even though I really shouldn't! Woohoo!  
> Alright so... this is the begining of my new fic Pride, Credits and Gunpowder (also available on Fanfiction.net), the next chapter should be out shortly because I'm REALLY excited about writing this.  
> It will be set approxiamately one and a half year after order 66 and it will be written from both Obi's and Bane's perspective.  
> It's an Obi-Wan/Cad Bane slash fic, because there really aren't enough of those out there and it's kind of my otp at the moment.  
> The romance is slow build, because I don't think that it would work any other way, so expect lots and lots of romantic tension! :D 
> 
> Warnings: There will be slash. Also, I'm not that used to writing action soooooooo... we'll see how that goes xD 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars the Clone Wars. Also, I'll only state this once because I'm laaazy

”Obi-Wan Kenobi…” the duros drawled, blazing red eyes set on the glass of whisky in his hands. The sound of his horse, grim voice made an almost pleasant feeling of familiarity rinse down Obi’s spine and a smile tug at the corner of his lips. “…fancy seeing you here. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Ben…” he corrected him even as he sat down next to Bane by the bar counter. “…it’s Ben now.”

“Obviously. Wouldn’t want to get caught would ya’? Now the name of Obi-Wan Kenobi is known all over the galaxy, but **_Ben?!_** ” Cad snorted out a laugh and turned to him. When their eyes clashed, something dangerous and threatening immediately passed between them, making Obi grip the hilt of his light saber underneath his cloak unconsciously and Bane finger his laser pistols, while simultaneously reminding them both of better days.

Finally, the duros broke the moment to look back at his drink, picked it up from the counter and raised it towards Obi with a grim smile on his face. “Who’d ever look twice at a man named Ben? Hey, bartender!” He punched his free hand into the surface of the bar and waved the barista over. “Get my old friend here a jug of whisky. My treat.”

“Thanks but no thanks! I don’t-“

“I don’t want to hear any disagreements from you, **_Ben_** …” Bane turned back to him, his red eyes glistening threateningly under the edge of the oversized hat.  “…yer’ a free man now. Try to enjoy it.”

Half a minute later a cold, dirty glass filled to the brim with foaming whisky was placed before Obi-Wan’s hands.   
He fingered the drink nervously.   
He hadn’t been drinking for **_years_** and had no intentions of picking the habit back up now, but he didn’t want to upset Bane either.

Slowly, he raised the glass to his lips and took a sip.

The whisky was frosty cold and burning hot, bittersweet and salty, all at once. He’d never really liked whisky. At first the strange contrast made him want to spit it out, but then a small wave of warmth started lapping at the edges of his mind and he swallowed it down anyway, concentrating on the good instead of the bad.

When he returned to reality it was to see Bane giving him an aggravating, knowing smirk.

“Not too bad is it, mister fancy pants?”

“Mister fancy pants? Very mature…”

“Says the virgin drinker.”   
Obi-Wan smiled and looked back into the glass.   
“I’m just a little rusty on the edges is all…”

They spent the next five minutes drinking in silence, feeling strangely comfortable in each other’s company. Obi-Wan was watching the other inhabitants of the bar, all of them just the kind of lowlife scum that he’d dedicated his former life to putting behind bars until order 66 and Anakin’s betrayal, and that he’d only recently found himself blending in with.

But then, finally, Bane’s whisky ran out and he turned back to Obi with a sigh.

“So? Why are you really here, Kenobi? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t hand your sorry ass over to the empire right now.”

“What’s this, Bane? You really don’t think that I’d come here to just enjoy the pleasure of your company?”

“I’m warning you, Kenobi; you **_don’t_** want to play with me.”

Obi-Wan sighed, albeit smiling, and took another sip of his drink before he turned back to Bane with a serious expression on his face.

“I want to hire you for a job.”

Slowly, the duros raised one interested, non-existing eyebrow.

“A job?”

“Yes. I’d like you to help me locate the whereabouts of Asajj Ventress and Ahsoka Tano.”

“…why?”

“Because I heard rumors that they’re still alive somewhere, and I’d like to find them.”

“No I mean… why hire **_me_** for that?”

Slowly, Obi-Wan smiled.

“Isn’t that obvious?” He raised his glass of whisky. “Because everyone knows that you’re the best, because I’ve worked with you before, because me and my former accomplices have been wasting years trying and failing to capture you, but, mainly, because you have a very nice hat.”

Slowly, Bane smiled back. 

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Kenobi. Last time we worked together it was without my awareness and you ended up stabbing me in the back. Why should I help you again?”

“I have money.”

“How much?”

“A lot.”

“ ** _How much?_** ”

“Thirty thousand credits.”

They looked at each other, warm blue eyes against cold red ones, and suddenly they were back in the clones wars ( _life had, with all its horrors, been simpler then_ ), back to being arch enemies ( _this had been simple too, never to trust, never to gamble_ ). Then Bane broke the moment once again to swipe the drink from Obi’s hands and gulp it all down in three, long, loud swallows; making Obi look at the way Bane’s blue adam’s apple went up and down that long, sinewy throat of his. It made him think about how easily he could cut it.

There was a knife in his pocket, pulling it out without Bane noticing would be the easiest thing in the world, slitting his neck would be even simpler – and if that didn’t work he could always strangle him, or bite him, or kiss him ( _soft lips against coarse blue skin. Maybe the chock would kill him?_ ), or – what the hell was he **_thinking?!_** He didn’t remember being THIS much of a light weight!   
“Fine.”

“Eh?”

Madly blushing, Obi-Wan turned back to Bane, that had put down the now empty glass to look at him with a detached, almost bored expression on his face.

“I said fine. I’ll help you find your missing ladies. But on one condition!”

“S-sure! Whatever it is, I’ll do it!”

Slowly, Cad Bane broke out into a teasing, predatory smirk, making Obi sober up immediately as every warning trigger in his body screamed at him to abort, _abort, **abort**_ and a loud voice inside his head that sounded all too much like Qui-Gon Jinn started to boom: “Obi-Wan Kenobi. What the hell do you think that you’re doing meddling with this mad man?” 

Then, Bane stood up and nodded for him to follow.

“You’ll have to pay for the drinks.”


	2. Ena-Rana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan meets the lady of Bane's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all the support I got for the last chapter, you guys really know how to keep writers block away! :D   
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as the last.   
> Either way I'm having a really good time writing this, I just hope that you like reading it as much as I like writing it. :) 
> 
> Warnings: Some minor cussing like damn, shithole and butter (yes, that is now a swear word).

”Wow… wow that’s really…” Bane frowned, annoyed, and stopped to turn and glare at the human behind him.

Obi-Wan was standing, seemingly frozen, some thirty meters away, bag laying forgotten on the ground next to him, staring at the durosian’s pride, his treasure, his first and only love; his ship, Ena-Rana, like it was the most horrifying thing in the world.

The sight made a sting of irritation prick in his chest and his frown grow deeper.

“…it’s really…”  
“Really **_what_** , Kenobi?” He warned.

“…it’s a…” finally, the human turned to him, saw the threat in his deep red eyes and deflated. “…it’s a piece of trash, Bane. You can’t **_possibly_** mean for us to travel in this junk, do you?”

“Her name is Ena-Rana…” he put a protective hand on her – and _sure_ she could use some new plating, but that didn’t mean that she was any less of a ship, nor that this prissy ass human could come and insult her unpunished! “…and if ya’ don’t start speaking ‘bout her with a little more respect, ya’ll soon find yerself on a small space walk – **_without_** a suit.”

To his surprise, Obi-Wan actually smiled at this – an annoying, smug smirk that made Bane want to grab his laser pistol and blast his face off.

“Rana, eh? Like the queen? My, my Bane, I didn’t know that you were such a… nostalgic.”

 The duros just sighed and rolled his eyes, not at all impressed with the others historical knowledge.

“Just get into the ship Kenobi, before I change my mind and leave ya’ here.”

 “Do I **_have to?_** I have a ship, and it’s in a much better condition than this one… I even prepared a guest room, just for you!”

“No.”

“But I-!”  
“ ** _I said no_** , Kenobi. I’ll be flying my ship or none at all – and I **_will_** be the one flying! Besides, my ship is better anyway.”  
“It doesn’t even look like it’ll make it out of the atmosphere!”  
“Enough!” Fuming with anger, Bane drew his laser pistol and aimed it at Obi’s head, right in between those aggravatingly blue eyes of his.  
Instinctively, the former Jedi master took a step back; one hand shooting up in surrender, the other gripping the hilt of the lightsaber Cad knew was hidden behind that long brown cloak of his.

“Take it easy with that; I’m on your side, remember?!”

“Get into the ship!”

Slowly, a look of suspicion grew upon and twisted the human’s face.  
He stole a couple of quick glances around himself, making sure that no one was around to see them on the shaggy little dock, and Bane could just imagine the cogs rolling inside his head as he finally drew his weapon and pushed the button – releasing his lightsaber.

The sight made the duros feel strangely nostalgic, and very, _very_ tired.

“There won’t be any money for you if you kill me, Bane. Even if you hand me over to the empire they’ll just throw you in jail, and you know that. Come on now - you’re smarter than this! You **_don’t_** want to fight me!”

For a long, long while, they just stood and stared at each other.

Then, finally, the grin that had been threatening to spread over Bane’s face ever since Obi drew his weapon finally broke loose, and the duros lowered his gun with a low, hoarse chuckle, tucking it tight and safe in his belt.  
“You do as ya’ wish then, Ben…” he smiled and gave the ship a hard punch, making the door above him open up with a sigh (draining all color from the humans face once again, he noted with no small amount of amusement) and a thin rope ladder unfold itself until it reached the ground. “…I’m leaving this shithole planet with or, preferably, without your company.”

Climbing up the ladder, he felt Obi-Wan’s eyes on his back and suddenly remembered how unprotected he was, how easily the other could just lash out and cut him open from behind, laser slicing through his flesh like a knife cutting through butter, not even giving him the damned dignity to **_bleed._**

The thought made a shiver run down his spine, but when he looked behind himself he saw that Obi had put his weapon away and was now on his way to pick the bag back up from the ground.

He didn’t seem to intimidating like this, muttering things underneath his breath and fussing over the stuff in his baggage that had broken when he’d dropped it, dressed in ragged clothing and made of soft pink skin, some tufts of dark blond hair and big blue eyes.

Like this, Bane could imagine that he performed just as big of a threat to the human as the human performed to him, that he could kill him just as easily if he ever felt the need to.

That would be a lie though, and Bane wasn’t the sort to try and trick himself.

He knew that he was weak compared to a Jedi master.

He’d always known that – not that he’d ever let that stop him in the past, seeing as he relied more on his superior intelligence than on pure bodily strength.

Still, **_if_** Obi-Wan decided to turn on him while out there, when it was just the two of them and cold, vast space, he’d be in some serious trouble… He’d have to come up with some sort of emergency plan, a trap in case of betrayal (from either one of them, he’d have to be ready for both), something to give him the upper hand… Or he could just **_trust_** him?

The thought made him snort, loudly.  
“Is there…” Obi-Wan stuttered, bringing the duros out of his stupor and making him realize that he’d been staring. Suddenly feeling awkward, he let go of the ladder with one hand to bring the hat down over his eyes. “…is there something on my face?”  
“No.” He tore his eyes away from the human and concentrated on finishing his climb instead. Once up, he turned back to him. “You coming or not?”  
“I’m coming!” Obi-Wan grabbed his things and ran up to the ladder, and as Bane watched him struggle with the ropes, the heavy baggage and the edge of his cloak, that he kept stepping on, he rolled his eyes in exasperation even as he felt another smile tug at the corner of his lips.

“What made ya’ change your mind?”  
“Well, I kind of figured…” the human started to climb. “…figured that if I was gonna die today, on this ship, I might as well take you with me.”

Bane grinned.

This job might just get pretty amusing after all. 


	3. Circle of Life, Law of the Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan questions his life choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapteeeeeeer! :D  
> I figured that I might as well get it out here before I go! I'll be leaving for Creta in... an hour. Woops.   
> Ah well, I hope you enjoy this, even though it's short and hasn't been beta'd or even safe-read at all, and thank you all for the lovely kudos' on the last chapter! You guys are the best! ^_^
> 
>  
> 
> Warnings: Obi-Wan's (D:) potty mouth

The interior of Ena-Rana was dark and gloomy.

The room they’d first entered, some sort of make do living room/dining hall/drivers shuttle, was covered with **_stuff;_** it was covering every table, overflowing every shelf and littering the floor; rotten food, unwashed clothing, heaps of molding old magazines, something that looked suspiciously like a hand grenade (?!), droid parts – and everything, literally **_everything_** stank of fuel oil.

Suddenly, one of the discarded Chinese takeout cartons on the floor **_moved_** , and Obi-Wan took a horrified step back, wanting with every fiber of his being to escape this flying garbage pile of death.

“Don’t like what’cha see?” Bane drawled from just behind him, bringing Obi-Wan out of his stupor and making him turn towards him. The duros had just finished gathering up the rope ladder and was now standing fiddling with some buttons on the wall. After pushing a big, red one, the door closed itself with a loud “ _BAM_ ” that made a wave of claustrophobia wash over the former Jedi master.

He wasn’t sure for how long he’d been standing staring at the exit before he realized that Bane was looking at him, big red eyes glistening dangerously, expecting an answer.

“Oh well… Well no. I think it’s a lovely room of trash! Is that a moldy slice of pizza I see there behind those boxers?”

“I left it there last week. Don’t have much time to clean. Now if you don’t mind I’d like to get this party started, shall we?” Bane grunted, before pushing his way past Obi to stalk through the room, kicking some trash away from his path as he did so, and sitting down by the controls.  
“You coming or not?”

Slowly, Obi-Wan followed, making sure to walk as far away from the still moving Chinese takeout carton as he possibly could, before sitting down in the chair next to the duros – right onto something soft and sticky.

As struck by lightning the human got to his feet, turned around and saw another moldy slice of pepperoni pizza laying there before him, mushed.

“What the hell, Bane?!” He screeched, and the duros give him a mean, full toothed smile.

“Welcome to Ena-Rana, Ben Kenobi.”

“That is disgusting!”

“If ya’ don’t like it, you’re welcome to leave. But only for approximately sixty more seconds, I’m just about ready to start this princess up…”

“We need to clean this place!”

“Fifty-five… fifty-four… fifty-three…”

“Bane!”

“…forty-eight… forty-seven… forty-six…”  
“I’m not leaving in this ship until it’s sanitary!”

“…thirty-two… thirty-one… thirty… twenty-nine… If I were you I’d either start buckling up or getting ready to leave now, Kenobi. It’s going to be a bumpy ride out of the atmosphere.”

Just to prove his point, Bane turned the engines on, that started with a terrifying roar, and the entire ship began to shake violently.

“BANE!”

“…twenty-eight… twenty-seven…”

“GODS! You’re even more stubborn than Anakin, you know that?” Obi-Wan screamed, wiped the pizza slice from the chair hastily, sat down and buckled himself up.

“One!”

The engines gave another, even louder, even more horrifying roar that made Obi’s heart clench in his chest and his hands grab a tight grip on the chair’s arm wrest’s, everything was shaking so violently his teeth were clattering together, his thoughts went to his luggage, that weren’t tied down and probably smashed to pieces by now, for one second and to the door that had been so easily opened just minutes past the second, and then they were up, _up, **up**_ in the air and flying.

He didn’t think too much after that.

He just closed his eyes, held on tight and tried not to scream as the ship forced its shaky way against gravity, through the atmosphere, out into clear, open, empty, _relatively_ safe space.

Once the shaking had calmed down a bit and his heart had stopped trying to break out of his chest, Obi-Wan opened his eyes again, only to find Bane looking at him from the other chair, giving him an aggravatingly smug grin.

“Enjoying the ride so far, Kenobi?”

“Fuck you!” He snarled, before forcing the seat belt off of him and stumbling up onto the floor, legs trembling as if he was Bambi on Ice and not a former, respectable Jedi Master. “And we still need to clean this place up!”

“You do that, Kenobi…” he froze. “…I’ve got more important things to take care of.”

Slowly, he turned back around towards the happily smiling duros.

“Like what?”

“Well finding your missing ladies, of course. What else?”

“While **_I_** clean **_your_** ship?”

“It’s a perfect set up, isn’t it? I’ll be cleaning up your mess, while you’ll be cleaning up mine. Circle of life.”

“So **_that’s_** why you were so insistent on using **_your_** ship? So that I could clean up your pile of garbage?!”

“ ** _Or_** , if you’re going to take it that way, we **_could_** always change the name to the Law of the Jungle…”

“Bane, I’m warning you…!”  
The duros only laughed.

“I’m joking, Kenobi. Don’t you see?”

“I didn’t even know that you were **_capable_** of kidding anyone.”

“Yes, well, you’re right of course. I must have spent too much time with those damned pirates…”  
…

“…does this mean you won’t do it?”

“What?”

“Clean the ship?”

Obi-Wan took a look around himself.

Suddenly, he discovered that there where a pair of _very_ dirty underwear hanging from the ceiling. And the Chinese takeout box was still moving.

He sighed.

“No.”

“Perfect! Now get to work!” 


	4. Todo2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A "new" character appears!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very, very, very, very, very, VERY sorry that it's been such a long time since my last update! After my trip to Creta, I started working as a flower saleswoman from six in the morning to seven in the evening, six days a week, meaning that the little freetime I had, I spent sleeping. I worked for the rest of the summer, and now school's back and it's my last year, so I've been reeeeeaaaaally bussy! Gomenasai!! T_T   
> Anyway, now I'm back to writing, and I'll try to upload once every two weeks! =) 
> 
> Warnings: Noodles and firefly references

It awoke to the sound of voices.

The first was familiar; dark, rough, clearly annoyed and dangerous – this was obviously master Bane. For a second it made a spark of hope ignite and course through its electrical system, though it was quickly smashed by the reminder that he was the one that had put it in this ghastly place in the first place.

He really has no manners that man!

The second voice though, was a voice unfamiliar to it, and nothing at all like its master (nor the people he usually associated with)! Though it clearly was a male’s voice, it had a sense of melody to it that Todo the second wasn’t used to hearing.

He sounded… sweet. Really.

Really, _really_ sweet!

Also; confused.

A little scared (really, Todo2 thought, this was only natural, considering his company).

And… _disgusted?_

What was going on out there?! What had happened during the last two weeks that Todo2 had been stuck in there, to make the stranger sound so close to **_gagging_** at the sight of Todo’s precious ship?!

Filled to the brim with buzzing new energy, the small techno-servo droid/butler because Bane was an ass, tried to squirm itself out its make-do prison.

It rolled around, kicked its little legs, let out a growl of frustration and used its pathetically small arms to claw at the interior of the box – nothing that it hadn’t tried before, but this entire situation was ridiculous and it was running out of ideas!

Slowly, it gathered up the energy into its damaged voice box to scream as loud as it could (not that it had helped in the past, for the first two days Todo2 had done nothing **_but_** screamed, until Bane had kicked it into the wall and its voice box had been partially fried) - but just as it let the scream out the ship started shaking violently, and then its voice was drowned by the familiar sound of roaring engines.

As the ship left the ground, Todo2 was sent rolling across the floor and smashed into the wall.

From the back of its mind, it could hear the stranger screaming in a strange, high-pitched voice that made it wonder if maybe it’d been mistaken and its master had brought a girl with him after all, as well as the sound of Bane laughing, happier than it could remember hearing him sound in **_years._**

It spent the next five minutes flying across the floor, smashed mercilessly between furniture and walls until its mind was nothing but statics.

There was no reprieve from the abuse.

After what felt like an eternity, the ship finally slowed down and stopped shaking, meaning that they’d most likely had reached open space.

Moaning, Todo2 rolled over onto its back and tried to regain its senses.

If it had been human, it would have thrown up.

He could hear the voices again.

The stranger sounded angry.

“Fuck you!” He snarled.

Todo2 felt like agreeing, but found that its voice box was jammed, completely this time.

Feeling a wave of irritation rise within it, the techno droid cleared its throat and tried a whisper.

Not a sound was heard.

It tried again, harder this time.

Still nothing.

And then suddenly, for the first time in the two weeks that it’d been stuck in the box, Todo2 got scared.

Its master had forgotten about it.

If it couldn’t speak, then there was no way for it to remind him of its existence, was there?

Would it have to spend the rest of its life trapped in this box, amongst moldy old Chinese food leftovers and darkness, lying on the floor of Ena-Rana until its batteries ran out?

Or would it be tossed out with the garbage, left on some trash planet where it’d get burned up in the fires – just another piece of trash, worthless, devoid of meaning?!

Filled with ever growing desperation; Todo the second tried to plead, tried to laugh, tried to scream and cry and curse, every failed attempt doing nothing but to fuel its fear.

Suddenly, it was feeling **_angry!_**

Angry at its master, that it’d served so loyally, angry at the stranger, that did nothing to help, angry at the box, for imprisoning it, angry at the ship – angry at the **_world_** , for being such a major pain in its metallic ass; what had it ever do to deserve such humiliation, such pain, such…

 ** _“WAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!”_** With a terrifying scream, Todo2 burst out through the Chinese takeout carton, covered from head to toe in moldy sour-sweet sauce, eyes glistening madly from below a wig of noodles.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Before its eyes, a middle-aged, brown haired, bearded human male stood, dressed in a pink frilly apron, a bonnet and a pair of yellow plastic gloves, staring at it, blue eyes wide with disbelief.

Todo2, not entirely certain what it should do in this situation, decided to stare back.

Then, a familiar voice spoke up from just behind it, breaking the chocked silence.

“So **_that’s_** where I left it!”

Slowly, Todo2 turned around.

Its master was sitting in his usual seat by the controls, looking at the droid with nothing but mild amusement in his eyes, as if **_nothing had happened!_**

The sight was enough to send a new wave of anger coursing through it, and suddenly it was on its legs, for the first time in two weeks, and it was screaming out everything it’d thought while trapped in that hell of noodles and fried chicken.

“YOU MONSTER!” It screamed, feeling wild and rebellious and free. “YOU PUT ME IN A TAKEOUT CARTON TO SHUT ME UP AND THEN YOU JUST FORGET ABOUT ME?! AFTER ALL I’VE DONE FOR YOU, ALL THE TIMES I WASHED YOUR LAUNDRY, CLEANED YOUR BATHROOM, DUSTED YOUR HATS – THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! HUH?! HUH?! HUUUUUUUUUUH?! YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN JUST TREAT ME HOWEVER YOU LIKE, DON’T’CHA?! THAT I’LL STAY WITH YOU WHATEVER YOU DO?! WELL I’VE GOT FEELINGS TOO! I’VE GOT HOPES AND DREAMS! AND THEY DO **_NOT!_** I REPEAT! THEY DO **_NOT_** INCLUDE PICKING UP YOUR TRAIL OF CANDY WRAPPERS ALL THE TIME BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO LAZY TO USE A TRASHCAN!!!”

Heaving long, heavy breaths for an appropriate amount of time, not because it needed to (it was a droid. Droid’s don’t breathe) but for dramatic effect, Todo2 closed its eyes and felt proud of itself. It’d **_actually_** stood up to Bane!

And not only that – it had said everything it wanted to say, and **_more!_**

Now if it’d just get this mess cleaned off of it, it’d finally be able to look itself in the mirror again.

As it opened its eyes though, it froze with fear.

Bane was glaring at it.

Bane

Was **_glaring_**

At it!

Feeling like a deer caught in the headlights, Todo2 looked deep into Bane’s glistening red eyes and saw **_death_** staring back at it.

Well shit!

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, **_shit!_**

“So, Bane…” the stranger suddenly said, breaking the droid out of its trance and making it turn towards him. “This is your wife, I take it?”

If droids could blush, Todo2 would have gone beat-red then.

The human was smiling at them, teasingly at first, but when his eyes met Todo’s it grew soft.

“I’m Ben Kenobi. Nice to meet you!”

The droid’s non-existent heart skipped a beat. 


	5. Pirates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan is reminded of where Bane real aligence lies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To excuse the lateness of the last chapter, here's an extra long one! :D 
> 
> Warnings: Some OOCness, pirates (if the title wasn't warning enough)

Some time later, after Todo2 had discovered what a mess the ship was, yelled at Bane about it for ten minutes, gotten kicked into an overflowing trashcan and then been wiped off with a wet-rag, ever so gently, by Obi-Wan; the little droid had taken the broom, the apron and the frilly pink bonnet from the former Jedi masters hands, and gotten to work on cleaning the ship.

Kenobi himself had been ushered into a small, cramped room that Bane insisted was **_not_** a guest room, containing a tip-up single bed, a drawer and, amazingly enough, not a single piece of trash.

Smiling, the human started unpacking his things, feeling far too relieved about not being forced to live in some home-made dump to bother being sad about the items he’d brought along with him that had broken during the ride through the atmosphere. 

After he was finished, he walked out of the room and back into the driver’s shuttle, where he saw that Todo2 had already managed to clean up most of the trash on the floor, and was now standing balancing on the back of a chair, desperately trying to reach for the underwear hanging in the ceiling.

Bane, meanwhile, was sitting by the controls, gazing out into the dark abyss of space before him.

Walking up to him, Obi pulled the underwear down from the ceiling in passing, earning himself a small, breathless “thank you” from the droid, and went to stand behind the duros.

“Ye’re being too meek with him, Kenobi. If ya continue like this, ye’ll have an enamored droid clinging to yer ass before not too long.”

“What’s this, Bane? Afraid that I’ll steal him from you?” He smiled, making the duros snort and turn around, amusement shining through his red eyes.

“Ye’re welcome to try. I’ll have my laser pistol up yer throat faster than you’ll be able to say Wookie.”

“My, my, quite a romantic aren’t we? I didn’t know that you’d be so protective of your lady!”

The duros frowned, and a wave of nostalgia washed through Obi-Wan as something dangerous and threatening passed between them, making the air tense and hard to breathe.

Suddenly, he found himself wishing for his lightsaber, that was laying hidden underneath his mattress.

“I’m just protecting what is mine.” Bane said and turned back around, breaking the tense moment. “That’s all.”

Feeling slightly awkward, Obi-Wan put his hands on the back of the seat, looked out into the darkness of space and tried to figure out something to say.

Coming out short, he decided on the most obvious choice, the question he’d intended to ask from the beginning.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“Florrum. It’s going to take us a couple of days though, so I suggest that you settle down and keep yer cool for a while.”

“Florrum? To the weequay pirates?” He repeated, warning signals flaring all throughout his body.

“I’ve got some friends on that planet that are **_very_** influential. If they don’t know where to find yer ladies, no one will.” The duros turned back around and raised a critical, non-existing eyebrow. “Is this a problem?”  
“Hondo Ohnaka. He might recognize me.”

Bane just smiled.

“Don’t worry about him. As long as I’m around, he won’t touch a hair on yer pretty pink face.”

“You think I’m pretty?” The words were out of his mouth before he’d been able to stop them.

Looking at Bane’s incredulous face, he flushed, and instantly regretted them.

What was **_with him_** today?!

He backed up a few steps, and watched as the duros facial features contorted from utter bewilderment, to a gleeful, predatory grin that stretched itself all over his face.

“That…” he stuttered, trying to salvage the situation. “That came out wro-“

“That’s right, Kenobi! I think yer the prettiest lil’ maiden in all the Universe!”

Then the jerk tossed his head back and laughed; a mean, loud, throaty sound that made the blush on Obi-Wan’s cheeks deepen and a strange hurt twist in his stomach.

“Very mature…” he sighed, trying his hardest not to pout. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in my room.”  

He spent the rest of the day cooped up in there, trying to busy himself with reading one of the books he’d brought for the journey. No one bothered to disturb him, for which he was grateful in the beginning but, after a couple of hours, found desperately boring.

After a while, he ended up staring out of the window into space until nature called, and he was forced out despite himself.

As he entered the shuttle, he was amazed to find that it was clean from all trash, that the floors had been wiped and that the windows were so clean that they were almost sparkling! For being a techno-service droid, Todo2 really knew how to clean!

Now, he was nowhere in sight though, and neither was Bane.

Full bladder temporarily forgotten, Obi frowned and took a walk through the room, searching the place with his eyes and silently noting that, with the trash cleaned up and the stench being a thing of history, it could almost be described as cozy. Sure it was dark and cramped and old; but there were pictures on the walls (mainly old-time wanted posters, some of them crossed over as Bane most likely had collected their ransom, others featuring the duros himself), a rug on the floor and a light that shone dull, but warm.

It was a very different experience from the ships that Obi-Wan had gotten used to during his Jedi days; the massive, airy, cold warships, designed to carry armies of thousands across the expanse of the universe.

Compared to that… this felt a lot more habitable.

Almost like a real home.

The thought made him chuckle.

What a strange day this was!

In fact, he was so amused that he almost didn’t notice the two figures by the controls.

When he did though, he stopped short, his smile slipped, and he stared.

Bane was half-sitting, half-laying in his chair, feet propped up on the control table, his hat hooding his closed eyes. As he bent down, the Jedi master noted that the duros mouth was opened and that he was drooling slightly.

Sleeping, he looked more at peace than Obi-Wan had ever seen him.

What had **_really_** made him stop and stare though, was the fact that Todo2 was laying with him, huddled into himself like a cat on top of Bane’s chest, eyes glasslike and empty in what had to be his power-save mode.

After the initial chock had settled itself, Obi found himself smiling again.

“A married couple indeed…” he whispered, and made it for what he figured had to be the bathroom, the door that was just next to his own.

What met him on the other side of it though, was the sight of a huge, heavenly soft-looking double bed, lined by a couple of bedside tables. There was a wardrobe in here as well; a heavy, massive thing that would probably reduce him to a pile of soft, bloody mush if it were to fall on top of him. He spent a minute contemplating why it didn’t fall during the take-off, until he remembered that all heavy furniture were magnetized to the floor in these kind of spacecraft’s, and felt a little silly.

Looking around, he smiled when he saw the hat rack standing in the corner, practically overflowing with cowboy-themed hats in all colors and sizes (though most of them were grey and oversized to the point of being silly) and almost laughed out loud at the sight of a particularly nasty one; colored bright pink and adorned with an awful, fluffy ribbon.

The walls in here were covered with wanted posters as well, the only difference being that almost all of these were crossed over.

Feeling curious, Obi-Wan closed the door gently, trying not to wake the duros or the droid up from their sleep, and walked up to one of the crossed over posters.

Noscho Kairam.

A famous, female, Miralilian thief, specialized in large cargo ships and military vessels.

15 000 credits.

He looked to the one next to her.

This one was also crossed over.

Nosswe Tai.

A male Rodian mass murderer that terrorized the cities of Rehtom for almost ten years.

9 000 credits.

He looked at another one, also crossed over.

Maran Noscit.

A female Mandalorian, and a Jedi.

20 000 credits.

Suddenly feeling slightly sick, he turned away from the wall and started walking out of the room.

Staying in there had been a bad idea, if Bane found him he might consider it a huge breach of trust (something they hardly shared a lot of to begin with), and he did **_not_** want to get onto the duros bad side when his life rested so entirely in his hands.

Also, he **_really_** needed to use the bathroom!

Suddenly though, something caught his eyes, and once again he found himself drifting from his original target.

It was laying underneath the pillow, something small and metallic and shiny; really, it was amazing that he’d seen it at all, but there it was and now… he’d never seen anything like it!

Filled with a sudden sense of wonder, he picked it up from where it was hidden and held it up to the light.

It looked and felt like some kind of strange gun; only very, very old, and heavy, and so **_cold_** in his hands, it made a shiver run down his spine.

Obi-Wan had handled a lot of weapons during the years; lightsabers, blaster pistols, electrostaffs – even a wip once! But he’d never before, not even once, held something that had felt so ominous, so **_evil_**.

It made a strange feeling of curiosity overtake him, almost enough so that he didn’t notice the door opening, and just enough to make him not care.

“What’s this?” He wondered aloud, as if in a trance.

“None of your business, Kenobi.” Then the gun was forced out of his hands, and he was being pushed out of the room.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before! Where did you get it? Dear god you stole it didn’t you? It looked almost ancient, you probably took it from a museum!” Obi insisted, feeling strangely giddy inside until he was sent stumbling out the doorway with a violent push.

After he’d regained his footing, he looked up and **_froze_** , seeing that cold, murderous look that he’d only seen once before in the duros fierce red eyes, that time long ago when he’d realized that Rico Hardine really was and always had been Obi-Wan Kenobi, and that he’d been set up.

The sight made something twist uncomfortably in his stomach.

“Bane? What’s the-? Ehm… Oh!” he bowed down deep, feeling, not for the first (nor the last) time, like a complete idiot. “I’m sorry for the intrusion of your room! It won’t happen again! I was looking for the bathroom, and then…!”

The door was slammed inches away from his face.

Obi-Wan frowned.

“What’s his problem…?”

 

 

They came within holographic-distance to the Weeqay pirates the following morning, and held an appointment with their leader almost immediately after contact.

Briefly put, it went something like this:

“Ah! My dearest Cad, I’m so happy to see you my old friend!”

“Clam it Hondo, we’re not here for any sunny reunions. I need some intel!”

“My darling, you wound me! It’s been so long and yet all I hear from you is business, business, business! Say one word and I will have my men prepare a feast in your honor!”

“You’d probably sell me to the Republic the second I put a foot on yer planet.”

“My love, my heart is breaking! Have you such little regard for me?”

Bane grinned.

“Well it wouldn’t be my ass that’d be soar the next morning.”

Obi-Wan coughed.

**_Loudly._ **

Hondo only grinned back.

“You keep telling yourself that, Bane. Now! Who’s that I hear hacking his lungs out in the background! It has a familiar ring to it, I believe…”

The jedi and the bounty hunter shared a look, and then Obi stepped up to stand behind him.

“Kenobi!” The pirate gasped, looking as if he’d seen a ghost. Then, his entire face lit up in a huge, brilliant smile. “Well if it isn’t my old friend Obi-Wan Kenobi! You must excuse me, these **_fools_** told me you were dead, killed in the order 66, although we should have known! We should have known that no ordinary clones could kill the amazing jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi!”

He laughed, and Obi-Wan gave him a hesitant smile.

“Actually, it’s Ben now…”

“Obi, Ben, it does not matter! You are a friend of the Weeqay pirates, and I will do all in my power to help you, in whatever quest you may have! Well? Tell me! What is your goal? Why are you here?”

“Look ya’ old slimeball, don’t think I don’t see what ye’re trying to pull here-“

“We’re looking for information!” Obi-Wan interrupted hastily, earning himself, and ignoring, a death glare from the duros. “Any and all information you may have about Assaj Ventress and Ahsoka Tano. We’re trying to find them.”

At the sound of their names, the smile slipped from Hondo’s features.

“Ventress and Ahsoka, eh? Tssk, tssk, tssk, tssk…” he sighed, and Obi felt his heart slow with dread, fearing the worst. “My friends! You have been going in the wrong direction! We just had word from the Hutt clans that Ventress has been captured, and will be brought before their council. You must go! Go to Nal Hutta!”

And so they did.


	6. Nal Hutta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bane wonders about the best way to deal with Obi, just in case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard for me, for some reason O.o 
> 
> Warnings: ...none, unfortunately

It took them three days to reach Nal Hutta.

During these seventy two hours Obi-Wan spent most of his time cooped up in his room doing God knows what, Todo2 cleaned until the ship was practically sparkling, and Bane thought of a possible course of action in case he and the Jedi ever came to the point of trying to rip each other’s throats out.

It wasn’t simple, considering the small size of the ship and the fact that the duros normally was a long-distance fighter, but he **_did_** have **_some_** tricks up his sleeve; like the electric glove he’d used to capture Ahsoka once, ages ago (it was probably buried in some drawer somewhere, dusty and forgotten, but he knew he’d find it if he just gave it a try), or the grip-hook he kept hidden in his bracelet.

Worst-case scenario, he could always press the button to the airlock and suck the human out into open space, but then the furniture would go with him, and furniture was expensive.

Also, he’d prefer not to kill him.

No, in case the former Jedi master ever betrayed him, Bane would like to knock him unconscious, put him in a box or something and then sell him on the black market. This was the best course of action, the **_safest_** course of action – because even though he may not get as many credits as he would if he gave the human directly to the Empire, at least this way he wouldn’t get caught and executed with him.

Anyway, there really were a number of things he could do in case things got desperate, he only needed to be a little creative; there were knives in the kitchen, he always carried his guns, he wasn’t too shabby in a fistfight and he could throw the furniture, throw his shoes (with the jets turned on, they could probably give some impressive burns), throw Todo2– the possibilities where never ending.

But what if he used the force?

What if he force gripped him, raised him up in the air and **_choked_** the life out of him? What would he do then, how do you even **_begin_** to defend against that?

He quickly shook those thoughts aside though.

Obi-Wan wouldn’t do that, it wasn’t his style; and Bane never had been one to worry over improbabilities.

From the corner of his mind, Bane noted how the doors to Ena-Rana opened, a wave of warm, dry air rushed into the ship and the sight of the desert planet Nal Hutta came before him.  
“Nostalgic, is it not?” The Jedi master interrupted the duros thoughts with a smile.

Bane only frowned, and kicked at the ladder to make it fall to the ground.

“You sound nervous, Kenobi.”

“I’m not! I’m just…” the duros bent down, and began to climb. “…I didn’t think that it would be this **_easy_** , you know?”

He grunted.

Once he was about one and a half meters above ground, he let go of the ladder and jumped the rest of the way down, throwing a cloud of sand up around him where he landed.

“It’s like… we haven’t even **_started_** yet, and we’ve already found Ventress? She probably knows where Ahsoka is too, so that won’t be much of a search either…” The human continued, as he slowly climbed down after Bane.

The duros watched his clumsy struggle with the ladder for a while, before saying;

“You sound disappointed.”

Obi-Wan froze.

“Well… No I wouldn’t… Wouldn’t call it disappointment…” the human stuttered, then jumped down to stand next to Bane, sending another cloud of dust up over them both. “I’m just surprised is all. I thought this was going to be a challenge.”

They stayed like that for a while, looking into each other’s eyes, red against blue, while the breeze carried clouds of dust against their bodies and the smell of the city, of debris and of motor oil, to their noses.

Suddenly, Bane found himself thinking about the lightsaber he knew Obi-Wan kept hidden beneath his robe, and what he’d do if the Jedi drew it.

He turned around and started to walk towards the city.

“Todo!”

“Yes sir!” The little droid shouted from the doorway of the ship.

“Take care of Ena-Rana for me will ya? We’ll be right back!”

“Of course sir!”

He didn’t need to look to know that Todo2 was pulling the ladder back up.

They’d done this so many times before, and even if it wasn’t much, then there were still no one else in the universe that Bane trusted as much as he did the technical droid.

Behind him, Obi-Wan hurried his steps, and suddenly they were walking side to side.

“You know, ya’ really shouldn’t worry so much, Kenobi.”

The Jedi gave him a suspicious look.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I don’t think our lil’ adventure will end so soon. We haven’t even seen Ventress yet, we have no confirmation from the Huts that she’s here; that rumor about her having been captured might be just that; a rumor, or a lie, or a trap-“

“Hondo wouldn’t do that.” Obi interrupted calmly, and Bane felt like groaning out loud at his naivety. Really, how the former Jedi had managed to survive this long was beyond him! “I know that he might seem like nothing but a backstabbing, money grabbing, pirate scum…” The duros smiled. “…but he’s also very intelligent, and when there’s a profit to be made, he knows how to make it.”

“And ya’ seriously think that helping you would be more profitable to him than selling you to the Empire?”

“I think he’s smart enough to know **_not_** to get involved with those people, yes. At least not until he knows for sure just how useful an indebted, former Jedi master with a very large sum of money in his pockets might be to him.” Bane’s smile slipped. Maybe he wasn’t working with a complete moron after all? “Also… well, you think so too, don’t you?” Bane started, and turned to look at the other male. Though most of the human’s face was covered under his heavy, brown hood, it seemed impossible **_not_** to see the intensity in those big blue eyes, directed towards the sight of the ever growing city. He wondered what he was thinking. “Otherwise, you’d never let Hondo see me, right…?” Obi-Wan continued. “It was too much of a risk.”

Bane smiled, but didn’t respond.

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

 

~NH~

 

It didn’t take long to find information.

A shabby bar, a couple of beers, and some money slipped under a table to one of the Hut pig guards, and suddenly they knew that Ventress had been captured five days ago during a randomized inspection of a public transport ship heading towards Curroscant, she’d been alone and without a passport, and it had cost them the lives of seventeen Hut guards and two bounty hunters to capture her.

Now, she was imprisoned in the dungeons beneath the city, wearing a force repressing choker and being guarded day and night. The trial was to be held the following morning, though Jabba the Hut had requested that she be brought to him, and the odds of a fair trial were low.  
He knew nothing of Ahsoka.

After the guard had left, Obi-Wan turned to Bane with fire in his eyes.

“I have to talk to her!” The human whispered, fiercely.

Bane only rolled his eyes and took a sip of his beer.

“She **_has_** to know where Ahsoka is! I know it! During my investigations, I found that everyone who had any valid information about either of them said that they traveled together, always! I don’t know why though, everyone kept claiming different reasons… Some said that they worked as partners, others that Ventress kept Ahsoka prisoner, **_others_** said it was Ahsoka who kept Ventress prisoner-“

“Calm down, Kenobi. Any louder than this and ye’ll attract some unwanted attention.”

“I’m sorry I’m just…! I can’t believe it! I can’t believe how smoothly things have been running! Well, except for your catastrophe of a ship breaking half of my belongings that is…”

“What did I tell ya’ about shit-talking my Ena-Rana, you **_punk_**?!” Bane growled back with just a little too much hostility, he knew. It was just… there was something about the Jedi’s smile that made him feel uneasy, something about the entire situation that didn’t sit right with him. Obi-Wan was correct – it **_had_** been too easy, and somewhere in the back of his mind, the duros sensed a trap.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just…” the human smiled, and Bane grumbled into his glass. “I’m happy! And you should be too! Soon you won’t have to put up with me anymore!”

“ ** _Soon_** I’ll be having my money.” He stood up, and started to leave. “That’s all I care about.”


	7. The Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...it's the trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely feedback for the last chapter! I'm so happy that y'all enjoyed it, even though I now cringe at thinking of all the mistakes I did writing it.   
> I've really been looking forward to this (and the following) chapters! This is where the real story begins you guys, and it's going to be awesome~!   
> Also, Ventress is my favorite character so... I love writing her. I really do.   
> Also, since I know that I haven't made it entirely clear, I'd just like to point out that Bane is wearing his later Clone Wars outfit - that is to say, no cheek-breathing-apparatus-thingy (yes, I know they've got a proper name, I'm just a little too sleepy and hyped to remember at the moment).   
> Aaaand as my last and finishing note, I'd like to say that I think that everyone who reads this fic should go and check out Stilwater Rundeepo's AMAZING fanimation that she did for me! 
> 
> stilwater-rundeepo./art/Nap-time-animation-406012356 
> 
> Now, read! 
> 
> Warnings: Sassy Ventress

Sneaking into the Hutt courthouse turned out to be about as difficult as getting information had been – not at all.

A couple of cans of beer and some money sneaked into a Gormordian guard’s hand and then they were being pushed through one of the back doors and shuffled through dark corridors, quick and quiet and discreet.

As they reached the courtroom (a big, dark, ominous place without any seating arrangements) they were told to keep to the walls and stay in the shadows, and then left to their own devices.

They were about an hour early, but even so there already was a small crowd of spectators lined up around the walls of the room, hidden in the darkness; an odd mixture of civilian families, bounty hunters, wealthy businessmen, thieves and Hutt guards.

Really, Obi-Wan thought as he leaned up against the wall, he shouldn’t be so surprised. Assaj Ventress had gained herself quite a reputation over the years (and a lot of enemies), as a former Sith apprentice and a successful bounty huntress – it was only natural that her capture would attract some attention.

As time moved on, he watched as more and more people came into the courtroom, until all the walls were filled up and the air was vibrating with the sound of hushed talking, whispers and murmurs in the dark.  
“Nervous?” Bane suddenly wondered, making him jump slightly.

It was the first thing the duros had said since they’d gotten there.

Obi-Wan glanced down at where he was sitting, crouched down on the floor with his hat tipped down over his eyes, that seemed to glisten in the darkness. He sat turned towards the center of the room, where eventually the Hutts would gather and Ventress would stand trial, but it was the crowd around them he was looking at, Obi-Wan knew, judging their strengths and possible professions, social statuses and threat levels.

The human opened his mouth to say no, no he’d been through far worse than this, why would he be nervous (?), when suddenly he realized that his hands were shaking, and sometime during the past hour he’d unconsciously grabbed onto his lightsaber under his cloak, holding it in a vice grip.

Surprised, he forced up a grin and let go of the weapon to hold his trembling hand out in the air, making Bane turn towards him.

“Apparently.”                                                                                                     

The duros frowned.

“Why?”

He pulled his hand back, and looked to the center of the room.

“I don’t know.”

Then, suddenly, the darkness was pierced by a bright, blue flash, making Obi-Wan turn away and close his eyes.

When he opened them again, a series of lights had been lit in the center of the room, illuminating a huge, wooden, half-moon shaped table that had looked like nothing but a darker patch of shadows mere seconds before, and the hologram of Gorga Desilijic Aarrpo.

Suddenly, the air felt too thick to breathe, and it was so **_quiet_** , Obi-Wan thought that his heart would burst out of his chest.

Despite the Hutts large, clumsy, snaillike body, and the monocle that made him look more silly than classy, there was no doubt that Gorga was a figure of great power, cunning and authority.

The Jedi master had always felt small in the presence of Hutts, even if it was only a hologram. Only a fool wouldn’t, he thought, the Hutt’s were a highly powerful species, and this was one of the most important ones; leader of his own Kajidic, Jabba’s nephew and one of the most influential members of the Hutt council.

As the slug studied his surroundings, he let out a heavy sigh and muttered something in Huttish.

The hollow sound echoed throughout the room.

The next five minutes where spent in tense silence, as the following three members of the Hutt council made their holographic appearances. Marlo came first, greeting Gorga in their deep, throaty language and a sleazy smile. Arok was second, puffing at his cigar; and then there was Jabba.

The sight of him made something coil uncomfortably in Obi-Wan’s stomach, and he found himself trying to sink even deeper into the shadows of the wall, trying to hide his face beneath his hood.

Jabba said something that made the others chuckle, sending their large heavy chins dancing against each other, and then, there was **_silence._**

“No wonder that it was so easy to sneak in…” He heard Bane grumble, barely audible over the sound of his own heartbeat. “…if none of the ol’ slugs were going to attend in person.”  
“They’ve been more careful lately.” He whispered back, as if in a dream. “Since their audience with the Sith brothers. One of their members died.”

“Bloody cowards, that’s what they are.” Bane spat, and Obi-Wan tried not to think too hard on the contempt in his voice.

Then, the doors of the chamber were opened, and the former Jedi master had to keep himself from gasping out loud at the look of the prisoner, barely conscious and bleeding from a wound on her temple as she was dragged by two guards into the center of the room.

Assaj Ventress.

It really was her!

Older and, if possible, even thinner than he remembered her; with dark patches circling her eyes and a tremble to her steps that made her seem strangely vulnerable. But the look on her face, the smirk on her lips and the **_confidence_** , the defiance in her eyes as she raised her head and said;

“Well, well, well what have we here? A bunch of old, bloated slugs, too scared to come out and look me in the eye. Do I frighten you so much, Jabba?”

 ** _That_** was familiar.

The trial was swift, it was cruel, and it was utterly, **_utterly_** corrupt.

For the abduction of Jabba’s, now deceased, son; murder; theft; witchcraft (?); and severe war crimes during the Clone Wars; Assaj Ventress was sentenced to immediately be transported to Tatooine, where Jabba Desilijic Tiure the Hutt would get to decide a suitable punishment for her sins and crimes.

By the pleased look in the old slug’s eyes, Obi-Wan knew with a sinking feeling in his gut, that it wasn’t going to be pretty. 


	8. Mind Tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bane discovers that not all is quite right with dear Kenobi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that…? She’s ALIVE!! =O   
> No but, seriously you guys, I’m really sorry about the lack of update, it’s just that… November has been a really bitchy month for me.   
> Allow me to paint you a picture of it: November started with my uncle, after many weeks of suffering in a hospital, found out that he was sick with cancer.   
> One week after that, me and my boyfriend decides to break up after a three years long relationship. The same day, my mother calls to tell me that the family cat, that we’d just orphaned off the streets and hasn’t really adapted yet, has run away.   
> One week after this, my brother gets a bad high, trashes his apartment, smashes his fist through one of his windows, stumbles out of the building naked and covered in his own blood, falls down the stairs and collapses.   
> The following three days I spent wiping my baby brother’s blood off the walls and the floor, while fighting my hardest not to let my father slip into depression.   
> So, well, yeah… you might understand it when I say that I haven’t exactly been in the mood to write?   
> Anyway, all’s well that ends well!   
> Me and my now ex-boyfriend are still close friends, the cat’s returned home, my brother is alive and well (if a little sore), and is now also on close probation by the school – meaning that he has to take blood samples at random intervals throughout the year and if there are any signs of drugs in them even once he’ll get kicked out.   
> And my uncle…? Well, he’s still sick of course, but there’s a 50/50 chance of him making it,   
> he’s still pretty young and strong, and he’s got children to live for so I… I believe he’ll make it through this.   
> Hopefully, I’ll see him and the rest of my family for Christmas. =) 
> 
> Now, about the chapter!   
> This was a lot of fun to write, turns out that I’ve missed these two quite a lot when I wasn’t writing!   
> Hopefully, it won’t feel too rushed or anything. Also, there are some darker stuff coming up in this chapter than usual so just… be prepared.   
> Obi-Wan may feel slightly out of character, I hope you won’t mind that.   
> He, like I was, is struggling with a lot of stuff right now.   
> I’d like to credit the last part of this chapter to Stilwater Rundeepo. 
> 
> Warnings: Some swears, mind-probing, torture sort of?, beware of the dark side

Once the trial had ended and Ventress was gone, Obi-Wan stepped out from the shadows like the idiot he was and asked for an audience with the Hutt council.

They’d accepted with suspicious ease, the rest of the spectators (including Bane) had been forced from the hall – and to this day Cad didn’t know what the Jedi had told them, wasn’t entirely sure that he **_wanted_** to know, but it had gotten the two of them onto the guard force assigned to escort Ventress to Tatooine.

The minute that the duros had heard the news he’d made a call to Todo2, telling him to get Ena-Rana into the air and follow them, which of course the little droid did (they’d danced this waltz before, after all).

Then, as they walked into the transport ship heading for Tatooine, Bane snuck a locator icon onto its hull.

Two weeks later, the Jedi and the bounty hunter were standing by the bars of Ventress’ cell for the umpteenth time in a row, Bane felt a headache coming up, and Obi-Wan’s patience seemed to finally start running thin.

They’d been assigned to the nightshift, spending the days sleeping and generally trying not to drive each other crazy (Obi-Wan’s a **_snorer_** ), the nights eating and, the Jedi, attempting to communicate with the prisoner.

He’d revealed his identity to her the first night, almost succeeding in giving Bane a heart-attack because **_reckless!_** That was the one and only time she’d chosen to speak with them.

She’d hardly seemed surprised at seeing Obi-Wan there, alive and well despite the rumors of his demise.

Instead, she’d **_smiled_** , and Bane would be damned if he’d forget the heat in her eyes as she looked at his client, the comfort she seemed to take from his presence.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi…” she’d purred, voice low and warm and full of humor. She’d reached her hand through the bars and touched his cheek. For half a second, the contact made the Jedi tense, but then it was as if all energy left him, he sighed and slumped and closed his eyes, looking more at peace than Bane had ever seen him. “It’s been too long. I’ve missed you.”

She was a pretty lady.

Despite the pale skin, the bald head and the sharp features; there was no mistaking that.   
She had a woman’s body, with soft curves and a gentle swing to her steps, a round, full mouth (made for _kissing_ , or possibly shouting out insults) and big, beautiful blue eyes.

Bane wasn’t entirely sure why that bothered him as much as it did.

“Where is she, Ventress?” Obi-Wan asked, and opened his eyes. “Where is Ahsoka?”

The prisoner pulled her hand back, shook her head and disappeared into the shadows of her cell.

She hadn’t said a word since.

Now, they’d reach Tatooine in less than a day, and Bane could **_feel_** the Jedi growing desperate.

“Ventress… Ventress, please be rational about this! I **_need_** to find Ahsoka, I need to talk to her, make sure that she’s okay… Can’t you at LEAST tell me if she’s okay?! Look there’s… there’s no reason why you shouldn’t tell me these things! Once we’ve reached Tatooine, Thon knows **_what_** Jabba will do to you, or have you do for him! I could… we could **_help you_** , Ventress! We could get you out of here, we could…!” He sighed, and Bane tried to massage the steadily growing pain in his temples away. He’d heard all of this before, these last few days. There was no use, the bitch wouldn’t talk. Suddenly though, he **_felt_** something.

It was a warm, dark, slithering feeling, like some invisible slug had just passed through the room, passed through his **_body_**. It was perverse, it was sickening, it made the pain escalate in his skull, made it feel like there was a rat in there; gnawing and clawing and tearing away parts of his brain, and suddenly he realized that…

He’d felt this before.

Long ago, when he’d been captured by the Jedi and one of their masters hadn’t been enough to penetrate his mind, so they’d tried with **_three._**

Suddenly, Bane felt more afraid then he had in a very, very long time.

“Ventress…” Obi-Wan said, voice dark and heavy with threats. He was staring into the darkness where she must be sitting, Bane thought that he could hear her breathing (ragged, panicked) – and that’s **_impossible!_** There’s no way that Obi-Wan could perform the mind-control technique on such a distance and without eye contact, there’s just **_no way_** for it to be so powerful that Bane would feel it too! “You **_will_** tell me where Ahsoka is.”

“I…” he heard her gasp, and felt a sudden sting of pity for her. If it was this painful for Bane, then he couldn’t even begin to imagine how it must feel for her, being the direct target. “…I can’t!” She screamed, sobbing now.

“WHY?!” Obi-Wan roared, and Bane felt himself fall to his knees, the sound of his voice was echoing through his head and there was pain, _pain, **pain…!**_

Then, it was gone.

Just like that, the feeling passed, the duros’ head cleared, Ventress whimpered softly and Obi-Wan was just standing there, clutching the bars with a desperate, lost look on his face that made something in Bane’s heart break, just a little.

“Why can’t you tell me?” He whispered, sounding very, very small. 

“Because…” Ventress said, once she’d regained some of her breath. “I made a promise.”

 

  
Once they’d reached Tatooine, Bane declined the offer to bring Ventress directly to Jabba together with the Hutt guards and Obi-Wan, choosing instead to meet up with Todo2 and freshen himself up in the ship.

Once inside, he started shuffling through the drawers, completely ignoring the little techno-droids words of protest as he turned the ship upside down, searching, searching…

He’d been a fool.

Trusting Obi-Wan Kenobi, thinking that he was a somewhat **_good person_** , that he was in control of his powers and emotions, wouldn’t harm a fly without a stupidly just cause - even though he **_knew,_** he knew that the Jedi hadn’t been anything but glorified mercenaries, pawns of war. He’d fought them for years, fought them and fled from them and imitated their techniques, worked to refine them; he’d been struck in irons by them, treated like a dog, he’d been tortured by them.

Tortured by Obi-Wan, years ago.

And, as if the years of war weren’t enough, the human had been forced to go through a fucking **_genocide_**! Of course he was screwed up in the head! Anyone in his position would be!

What was Bane thinking, working with such a man?!

Suddenly, he found what he was looking for, hidden underneath his bed, dusty and forgotten. His breathing tubes.

Picking them up from the floor, he wiped them clean from dirt with the sleeve of his jacket, ever so gently. As he attached them to his cheekbones and windpipe, felt them dig themselves into his flesh (it hurt like a bitch, but he’d been through worse) and open up his airways; a strange wave of nostalgia washed through him.

It had been years since he’d last seen the need to use these.

Though their main mission was to help him breathe freely on planets with harsh atmospheres, he’d discovered (through experience, of course) that they provided him with just enough air not to black out during force chokes.

Really, why he hadn’t thought about it before was beyond him.

Once the tubes where in place, he took a long, ragged breath – and promptly choked on a cloud of dust.

Coughing hysterically, he stood up on shaky legs and tried to get it out of his system.

When the filth was out of his airways, Bane let out a cacophony of swear words and felt like an idiot for not cleaning the inside of the tubes as well as the outside.

Annoyed, he stalked up to his wardrobe and opened the doors, revealing a small mirror.

He checked himself out, made sure that the tubes were attached properly and that no blood had been spilt – and then grinned, despite himself.

“Well, well, well.” He grunted. “I’d forgotten how good I look in these.”

 


End file.
